Families,
Last year my wife Angie and I took a once in a lifetime trip to Europe. It was an amazing adventure that we had dreamed about for many, many years. I felt so blessed to have been able to do something so amazing. This summer, because Angie had hip replacement surgery in early June, we chose to hang out at home, rest, and await the return of our youngest son from spending two years in Chile. We were able to send him weekly e-mails and we spoke over Skype four different times while he was away. However, that was the limit of our contact while he was away. It is hard to express the joy we felt as we saw him walking out the concourse doors towards us and the sadness we felt for him that this life altering experience had come to an end. He had spent two years serving people, in a language he had barely known, away from family, friends and the comforts of home. He left a wonderful young man and returned an awesome human being. I am so excited to be able to continue watching his growth and seeing how this experience, along with the others he has had so far in his life, will provide the foundations for his next stages in life.
Although Mason was far away from home, we took comfort in knowing that he was serving among people who were taking care of and watching after him. He had people and structures to support him and we took comfort in that. As we begin this new school year, I am excited to see a continuation of the work we have been engaged in over the past seven school years to make your learner’s experience top notch. It is amazing that I am heading into my eighth year as principal at Jason Lee Middle School. I have seen so many students over the years go through their own transformative experiences while attending our school. As we have continued to improve, year after year, more and more students are finding Jason Lee a place where they can fit in and discover on a daily basis. Coming to middle school, can be like going to a foreign country for both learners and their parents. The learners start to change so much, that sometimes their parents begin to not even recognize them. They get taller, fill out, have voices change, need to shower more, gain much more independence, and start to find out what they like and don’t like in their own learning process. This can be hard for them and for their parents. However, I assure you that we take this work seriously. Every day we work to create a place where we enhance that development in a safe and supportive way. You may not be sending your child to a foreign land but we recognize that at times it may feel so. Therefore, we will do our best to assist you in feeling comfortable in that process.
I am excited about the work we will do this year. In addition to this monthly newsletter, and email updates we send often, we will be looking to add regular updates and information through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to help you feel connected and supported in this journey. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram and twitter @jasonleevps . You can follow me on twitter at @jleeprincipal. Follow us now and begin to get the updates right away.
I am looking forward to the new school year. The start of the year is always fun as friends return to greet each other and new friendships are developed. New experiences are tried and new joys are found. We will continue every day to “open doors to student success, by developing lifelong learners, responsible decision makers and caring and contributing members of society.” Your child may not be going to Chile but you can be assured we will take care of them each day the best that we can.
Do a great year!!!
Curt – Principal, Jason Lee Middle School